Tired of all the angst and introspection in Young Adult fiction these days? Wanna see teenagers reading about something other than wizards and vampires, and maybe even hear them laugh out loud while they do it? (WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS)

In A BAD DAY FOR VOODOO, Tyler Churchill is a typical teenager who makes the mistake of believing that sticking a pin into a voodoo doll is a harmless way to get revenge for an undeserved F. Unfortunately, the friend who gave him the doll is a seriously misguided kid with mystical powers, so the doll turns out to be the genuine article. A simple prick of a pin causes Tyler's least favorite teacher to spurt blood and body parts in front of the entire classroom, and the ensuing tug-of-war over possession of the doll ends in a teacher with a broken neck. Panicked, Tyler and Adam blame each other, which ends in Adam making yet another doll, this time a doll representing Tyler. Boyhood friendship triumphs, however, and the two make a pact to keep their mouths shut, but then Tyler's voodoo doll is stolen, and all Hell breaks loose.

Tyler, his girlfriend, and repentant Adam take off on a wild goose chase involving carjackers, murderous thugs, sewer rats, spiders, a rabid Rottweiler, an insane cab driver, a marauding zombie, a family of serial killers, and several completely implausible but nonetheless exciting car chases and shoot-outs, all in the hope of removing the curse from Tyler's doll before Tyler loses a few body parts of his own. (Spoiler: Tyler loses a few body parts.) Strand's trademark wit and humor makes it all work, including several hilarious sections of random third-party asides that will have snorting beverages from your nose while taking cliff notes on the art of writing humor in fiction.

If you're looking for something different in the Young Adult genre, then look no further, and pick up A BAD DAY FOR VOODOO.

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